Monday, November 11, 2013

How our dolls, male or female, look does impact the way we feel. It may be that we dress them to a theme that evokes a mood, that we choose to put something on them that incites a certain confidence, or that we – for no definable reason at all – simply fall in love with a particular piece of clothing or accessory and dress them that way. Fortunately we, like many other fashionistas, have the yearly runway shows to give us some of our fashion inspiration for our dolls. We also have CDS' Dolls Fashion Night Out. And this year we are going to look at the three themes fashion forecasters are seeing as being predominant in the Fall/Winter 2013 collections. Those themes are Adventure, Creativity, and Nostalgia, and their qualities are listed below.

Adventure: Travel inspires a high Winter trend that combines a sense of adventure with a renewed fascination for the great outdoors. Her lifestyle trend combines modern functionality with traditional fashion styles. Colors include slate grey, tawny brown, and midnight blue. Knits, florals in earthy colors, and graphic prints will be seen.

Creativity: This is reinterpreted using expressive freedom. Expect an approach into artistic ventures that seem to comment on social change with a reflective and humorous slant. Colors: An unusual combination of artistic pop colors of vivid violet-blue and fluorescent yellow. Painterly prints and patterns, haphazard brush strokes, and luminous tones abound.

Nostalgia: Modern generations mix nostalgia with different folk-inspired heritages and their contemporary futures, resulting in a blend of quirky folk style packaging with a fascination for eclectic blends. Colors: Bright accents against muted tones. Bright gold and intense turquoise. You'll sure to see bright, folk-inspired florals with a tough edge.

What follows are how some of our artists interpreted the individual themes. Did they hit the mark, or were they a little off? Be sure to use our comment section to let us know. And, if you don't mind, be specific - let us know the specific artist(s) you are commenting on, please. We really do value your feedback.

Theme: NostagiaI chose for this happening Nostalgia from the 70’s. I had one of these dresses and loved it, especially the skirt for twirling. This Joe Tai beauty is clad in a brightly colored paisley shirtwaist dress with a front opening and short cuffed sleeves.She loves to sit with her full skirts flared out around her as well as in a standing pose. Her hat of paisley print with green lining sits jauntily on her head, and a pair of purple shoes completes her outfit.Frances Weir, Francesca Doll Couture

Theme: NostalgiaMid century inspiration is reflected in this DFNO cocktail outfit. The wonderful wiggle dress flatters the figure today just as it did in the 1950's. Add a smart little red hat and some rhinestones, and any girl would be ready for a night on the town that includes a great martini.This one of a kind red dress is hand knit in a silk/bamboo yarn blend, and closes in the back with a single tiny silver snap. The hand sewn cocktail hat is made with red wool felt, and is embellished with rhinestones and tiny black glass beads. The non-opening evening bag is also knit, has a metal chain strap, a "clasp," and is detailed with more rhinestones.Deanna Torigian, Babette Doll Fashions

Theme: NostalgiaI chose Nostalgia as the theme to use for the style inspiration for my dress. Tonner's 22" American Model Basic is my doll model. The Dress has a nostalgic silhouette. The bright, full skirt is folksy, but the oversized print makes it modern. The neutral bodice blends and softens the bold colored print, a nice change from the past trend of matching color. The turquoise trim is unexpected, and gives the dress that hard edge. I could see a current teen in this dress, a lover of vintage style, or a sexy pin-up girl.The simple, full skirted dress is made from fine 100% cotton. The bodice is fully lined with cotton organdy and falls slightly off the shoulders. It is closed in the back with tiny buttons over snaps. It could easily be titled "Quirky, Folk Nostalgia."Rosy Bazile, L'Atelier de Rosy

Theme: AdventureI chose the Adventure theme because I wanted to mix my culture and my Creole roots in my work of sewing for dolls. Pretty and flowery, this flattering dress is mainly suitable for the American Model (56 cms), but could also be suitable to dress other dolls of the same measurements. Those dolls might include the BJD Youth Dollmore Eve. The chosen fabric is a cotton in shades of Autumn, so perfect for the season. The dress is close-fitting, fully lined, closed by a zipper, and enhanced with a necklace, earrings, and bracelets of painted wood.Karen Daniel, Xxtra Fashionable

Theme: AdventureEllowyne has chosen to have a weekend adventure. She has filled her daypack with munchies and water, and is setting out to the nearby trails to take in all the Fall foliage on the way to checking out her Winter cabin.Her skinny jeans and favorite Uggs start the ensemble. This season, plaids and geometrics are all the rage, and her silk baseball jacket encompasses both. Knit hats are a must have accessory, and Ellowyne's toque coordinates with her stretch lace turtleneck. Her silver necklace and earrings add just an added touch of interest to her weekend attire.Elizabeth Fenton, Nashas Doll Boutique

Theme: AdventureI chose adventure because I love the idea of modern function combined with traditional fashion style. While my fashion is more for a Winter party than the great outdoors, I loved this floral print combined with fur used in my simple, high fashion cocktail dress.It is cut from red, shades of pink, and gold floral brocade. My fashion has short sleeves with fur cuffs. The front is high and gently slopes to mid back, and is accented with a bow. This outfit is completed with a bag and fur hat.Anna Castanes, Somethings Old Somethings New

Theme: Creativity.I love vibrant colors, and this fabric reminded me of a Van Gogh painting. The colors and design flow and create an artistic and happy feeling.The set comes with a reversible coverlet. It features the print on one side and a solid color on the other. Two Euro Style patterned pillows and one rectangular solid pillow complete this ensemble as does the one small, solid rug.

Theme: CreativityMy fashion is called 'Oiseau.' Taking a page from Mother Nature's book, this design echoes the elegance and grace of a bird.The modern cut is neither formal or informal; it features a long back train and a shorter hemline in front. This hip fashion is made of 100% silk and natural feathers for a sensuous touch - giving more focus on texture than color.Gayle Chavez of Oohlalaz

Theme: CreativityCreativity is not hard when it involves glitter in creating an Evening Glamour look for the Holidays. That is why I chose to use unique, glitter embossed fabrics to create this OOAK, two piece evening, glamour ensemble.It features a body suit with long sleeves, is low cut, and is made in shades of purple and lavender. The high waist skirt is lined in black and black glitter. This ensemble also ncludes earrings and a small round evening bag.Jenny Catalano, Just Jenny's

Theme: Creativity.I've sat on this particular piece of fabric for a while, never finding the dress or outfit appropriate for its design. This project immediately brought this fabric to light. The pattern on the fabric reminded me of bright fabrics used in many African fashions.The bodice, a design I've been playing around with for a while now, was perfect for what I wanted to pull off. Taking the straight line of the skirt to a rounded hem was the finishing touch. Using a modified tank dress style top, I added a gathered bodice to an attached skirt for a pseudo Josephine front and added a straight back. No sleeves were indicated as the tank sleeves actually created a tiny cap sleeve. I finished the neckline and armholes with fold over elastic in coordinating orange for a bright look that holds the dress on the form. I added the necklace and matching earrings to finish the look.Lori Lyon, Madeleine Rose Couture

Theme: CreativityI chose a creativity theme, but the choice of fabric rules this one. Bright colored, graphic print silk chiffon, reminiscent of Rastafarian colors, gives a sense of adventure to travel the islands of Jamaica. With such a print I felt the silhouette should stay simple. A bias cut evening gown, with draped neckline lets this beautiful printed chiffon shine.Marcia Friend, Facets by MarciaLast but not least were these entries from Facets. After all, these fab outfits deserve the perfect accessory.

And that concludes another year of Dolls Fashion Night Out. We hope you enjoyed it, and will consider visiting the shops of CDS for all your fashion needs. Have a great Turkey Day unless you live in Canada or some place where you've already enjoyed it.Once thing is for sure, I'll "see" you one more time this year; be watching for the CDS Happening post in December.